OAK HARBOR, Ohio (AP) -- FirstEnergy has set a restart date of Dec. 7 for its Davis-Besse nuclear plant.

"This is doable,'' said Lew Myers, chief operating officer of FirstEnergy's nuclear division. "You don't make a schedule to fail.''

But the Nuclear Regulatory Commission would not commit to FirstEnergy's timetable during a meeting yesterday to review the plant's repair.

During a maintenance shutdown, investigators in March found that boric acid nearly had eaten through a 6-inch steel cap on the reactor vessel. The plant has been closed since then.

It was the most extensive corrosion found on a U.S. nuclear reactor and led to a nationwide review of all 69 similar plants. FirstEnergy is spending $55 million to $75 million to replace the reactor head.

The commission wants to make sure that not only are the equipment repairs completed properly, but also that the management lapses that allowed the corrosion to fester for years are fixed.

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